The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-02-19

Ine HOW or tho1r INSPIRATION.
Passing now to the New Testament,
1 have space only to give you key to
the views held by the Universalists of
the passages generally supposed to re-
fer to final judgment, fixing in unalter-
able, Interchangeable, endless misery, the
wicked. They were spoken by our Sa-
viour, who was, himself, Hebrew
few years before the destruction Of his
nation, and the end of the Mosaic age.
They we're spoken at the time he was
preparing to establish on the earth the
new age, the kingdom of heaven, into
which all nations were to be called.
He prophesied concerning his coming
to establish his throne among men on
the earth and his flaming oriental i'm
agery of judgment, and destruction, re-
lated to the enemies who stood in his
way, and hindered his work. The ma
ton that refused him, and crucified
him, was to be cast out until the full
ness of the gentiles, cor other nations,
should come in" They were applied
to the end of the Mosaic world, or age,
and the beginning and progress of his
own reign in this world. Compare Matt.
xvi, % with xiv, 20, 80, and XIV, 81.
The end of Christ's reign, Paul de-
scribes in Cor. XIV, "a, %, when God
shall have become "all in ALL" Itshall
be when che shall see of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied in the fulfill
ment Of his own words-"I, if be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me-" His work is only be-
gun in this world and is lamentable
failure except as we see with Paul's
vision, the work continued and ultimate
ly completed in the resurrection state.
To those who rest their belief in the
useless malignant, God dishonoring
doctrine of endless torments, on the
words everlasting and eternal, the Uni
versalists say, these words do not of
themselves mean endless, as used in
the Bible, for they are applied to things
temporal. For example, to the gates,
or doors of Jerusalem FPS. xiv, y; to
the possession of the Holy land by the
Jews (Gen. xvii, 81; to the priesthood
of Aaron (Exod. XII, 1877; to mount
aims that were already scattered, and
the ways of God (Hab. iii, 81; and to
God lisa. XII, 2S). Are all of these
objects equal in duration? Does Habak-
kuk mean that everlasting mountains
which were scattered were equal in dur
alton to God, or Gods ways, because
he applies the same word to both in
close connection and contrast =?
The word translated everlasting and
eternal (aionios) in Matt. XIV, 46, de-
notes quality in the New Testament
rather than duration. Good scholars
mot of our church,, read-the punish
ment of the coming age, the life of the
coming age, ie., the Christ life.
The duration of the existence and
blessedness of those who come into the
enjoyment Of eternal life in this world,
does not depend on the force of this
word translated eternal, but so far as it
depends on the force of any word, upon
Greek words that are never applied to
punishment, or the condition of the
wicked. These words applied to God and
the SOULS happy existence only, are
akdtal,ton, imperishable dmarantos
and amaran tinos, unfading; ophtharto,
immortal, incorruptible; and athana-
sian, Immortality. The terms dthanG-
tos, adialeiptos, and aidios which I'M
equivocally denote endlessness, and
were in common use by the contempt
raries of Jesus, Jesus. himself never
used. He avoided the only phraseolo-
gy that unequivocally teaches endless
ness, when applied to punishment, and
the very terms then in common use.
See DIR. Hanson's exhaustive work
on this subject" Aion-Aionios."
In respect to the opportunities which
"Ev." Graves imagines Jesus to have
had to proclaim Universalism when he
answered the question, care there few
that be saved" I reply, doubtless he
would have done so had he thought
that the question concerned the final or
ultimate conditions of men. People
can be saved from great many things
other than endless hell fire. 1 must
trouble you, if you want light on the
question, to read the whole passage in
Luke xiii, %, 3d. The question liter
ally translated would read, care there
few now being saved ?" From what ?
A note from DR.. Hanson's translation
of the gospels tells in few words: "Not
from endless torment. The words,
81 know you not, depart from me-"
"There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth" apply entirely to those who
had heard him speak in their streets,
namely, the Jews, whose advantages
were about to be taken away and given
to the Gentiles who were to enter the
kingdom Tor the Christ's reign on earth)
by faith, with faithful Abraham, while
they were thrust out. The language |
in Luke has more special application